Just on the boat . . .

Hi everyone! Just a quick update to let you know that we're back on the boat. We don't pull out of Burma (Myanmar) until tomorrow afternoon (due to the tides). Tomorrow is Halloween, and as I'm on the Halloween committee, it's going to be a busy busy day for me. This is going to be a busy busy crossing of catching up and preparing. We haven't had a long crossing in a while and won't have one until after Hong Kong. So, I will get to my blog entry for Burma when I have a chance - probably the day after tomorrow. It's going to be just as difficult to process as India. It feels like I did and saw so much that it's impossible to put into words. It was incredible and enlightening.

The big news on the ship right now is our water shortage. Since we are docked in a river, the water is too dirty for us to process into clean water. So, we have to buy it here - which is supposedly very expensive. Anyways, for the past couple of days, we've only had water from 6-9 in the morning and 6-9 at night. Aside from the issue of showering, no water means no flushing of toilets. With 800 people with various forms of Delhi belly and food poisioning, the bathrooms can get pretty interesting during non-flushing hours. Enough said. It's a pretty interesting situation.

Also, we've all heard on the ship that there have been some bombings and a train derailment in Dehli. It's a scary thought as many of us were in these areas just a few days before. But, we are all safe and thankful for it. I know for me, it's given me a jolt. It's so hard to imagine bad stuff happening to you even though you know it can. Something like this really reminds you.

Well, as promised earlier, I will get on here with my Myanmar epic ASAP.

I hope everyone is doing well - especially my new baby cousin Adrienne and her mommy and daddy.

Happy Halloween!!!

India . . . What can I say???

Wow . . .

I tried with all my might to write about India as I went along, but I continued to be frustrated about not being able to express the true energy of four different cities in India, especially when I spent so little time in each. I have heard the saying many times that every city is so completely different in India that it should be its own continent rather than just a single country. Now, I understand it. I visited four cities, none more than a couple hours away by plane, but all so different that they could easily be different countries. When I returned to the ship last night, I heard about other people’s experiences in India and was exposed to the atmosphere of several other cities, all sounding completely unique. I don’t think that anyone would ever be able to experience everything that India has to offer, even if they had a lifetime. People say that you love or hate India. I love India. It is beautiful and warm and amazingly full or culture and history. Sometimes, there’s a lot of crap to get through to get to the heart, but if you are able to see through the haze, dirt, and garbage, you are in for the experience of a lifetime . . .

I’m going to try a haphazard approach to my journal entry, but I think that it fits the atmosphere of India perfectly. Like India itself, you will probably love or hate it.


Fragment 1

I spent my first day in India exploring Chennai dubfoundedly and attending the Welcome Reception with Indian students. For the next four days, I had an SAS trip. I could sit here and spend ten pages and several hours detailing all the amazing things and monuments that I did and saw, but I don’t feel like the real India can be described in the typical narrative, at least not by me. For those of you who want to know exactly what I did in India, here is the itinerary for my trip right out of the SAS field program book:

CHE22 DELHI/VARANASI/AGRA

This trip combines the bustling city of Delhi, the majesty of the Taj Mahal, and the “eternal city” of Varanasi, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in India. Located on the banks of the sacred River Ganges, Varanasi is the holy city of the Hindus. Often called “the heartbeat of India”, it is the oldest inhabited city in the world. Varanasi has been a center of civilization and learning for over 2,000 years. Here you can observe the ritual bathing in the Ganges at dawn, a practice that has continued virtually unchanged over the centuries.

Day 1: Depart the ship for the Chenni airport and your 3 ½ hour flight to Varanasi via Delhi, arriving in Varanasi around 11:50. After check-in and lunch at the hotel, visit the ruins of the ancient city of Sarnath where the Budda preached his first sermon. Sarnath is as holy to Buddhists as Vranasi is to Hindus. See the stupa and ruins of an ancient monastery as well as the new Buddhist temple and the Archaeological Museum with its large collection of ancient art. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. An optional shopping trip, with your guide, is available.

Day 2: Depart the hotel before sunrise and drive to the banks of the River Ganes. Board a boat and sail along the river to witness a spectacle of religious practice that has continued unchanged over centuries. AT dawn, pilgrims converge at the holy waters for the ritual immersion and prayer to release their souls from the cycle of rebirth. This is one of the most memorable experiences of a visit to India. Continue on a city orientation and then depart for the airport and your flight to Delhi. Upon arrival in Delhi, enjoy some late afternoon sightseeing including visits to the Birla Temple and Sikh Gurdward. Proceed on a drive along the ceremonial avenue, Rajpath, past the War Memorial, Parliament House, Secretariat Building, and the official residence of the president of India. Continue to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Following an early morning wake-up call, depart for the train station and your two-hour journey to Agra. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel to freshen up before proceeding to Fatehpur Sikri, with its red sandstone palaces which are remarkably preserved. Return to Agra for lunch at the hotel and then visit the halls and palaces of Agra Fort and the fabled Taj Mahal where you will have the opportunity to view the Taj Mahal at dusk. Transfer to the railway station for your journey to Delhi and transfer to the hotel.

Day 4: Depart for the airport and your return flight to Chennai.


Fragment 2

My sleep schedule

Day 1- Wake-up call – 7:30 a.m.
Bed Time – midnight
Day 2 – Wake-up call – 4 a.m.
Bed Time – 1 a.m.
Day 3 – Wake-up call – 4:30 a.m.
Bed Time – 1 a.m
Day 4 – Wake-up call – 4:00 a.m.
Bed Time – 4 a.m.
Day 5 – Wake-up call – 7:15 a.m.
Bed Time – 11 p.m.


Fragment 3

The Rickshaws

Modernized Rickshaws – mini yellow vehicles; wheel in front; open sides; no doors; driver in small bench in front; fits two passengers in the small back bench; drivers allow you have as many passengers as will fit in the small back bench; I rode with four in the back bench; I saw ten locals crammed into one rickshaw; drivers zip in and out of traffic consisting of cows, goats, other rickshaws, buses, trucks, cars, motor bikes, regular bikes, and pedestrians; drivers especially like to play chicken with buses; one probably thinks they are about to die around a dozen times during a twenty minute rickshaw drive; the rickshaw driver will take you everywhere but where you want to go, especially if they will get a commission out of it; the rickshaw will never take you exactly where you want to go, the best you can hope for is to get close and walk; the driver will try to charge you at least double the price that you agreed upon

My First Rickshaw Experience

“You need ride. Come, come.”
“We want to go to a local outdoor market. No Shops.”
“Yes. Yes. Get in. Get in. Sit Madam. Sit. Market. Yes.
“You know where there is a local outdoor market? We don’t want to go to any shops.
“Yes. Sit down Madam.”
“How much?”
“30 rupees each.”
“Ok.”
*starts driving and promptly stops at a gas station and gets gas without a word*
*back on the road*
“Good beach. You want to go to beach.”
“No, we just want to go to a local outdoor market.”
“Nice beach.”
“Yes.”
“Know good temple. Old Temple. You go to temple.”
“No, we just want to go to the market today.”
“What you look for? Silk? Sari? Bangles?”
“Yes, but we don’t want to go to any stores.”
“Temple big and very old.
“No, we just want to go to the market today.”
*Pull up to tourist shop filled with dozens of SAS kids and their rickshaw drivers. We go in out of curiosity. Nice stuff. Expensive. We don’t want to shop in a tourist shop. Come out without buying anything.*
“Ok. We do not want to go to anymore stores. We only want to go to a local outdoor market. No stores. If you take us to anymore stores, I’m not getting out.”
“Yes. Yes. Local market.”
“Yes. Yes. No more stores. Outdoor market. Outdoor vendors.”
“Ok. Ok Madame. Get in.
*arrive in parking lot of another tourist shop*
“No. I’m not going in. I already told you that we don’t have time. We only want to go to the local market.”
“Market there.”
“That’s not a market. We want to go to an outdoor market. No more stores. No more stores.”
“Go in. Look.”
“No. We aren’t going into any more stores. Do you know where there is a local outdoor market or not? We want to go somewhere where people sell things in the street.”
“Yes. Yes.”
*Finally we leave and take another long drive.”
“Madame. I stop at supermarket?”
“What? No. Do you know where the market is?”
“Yes.” *pouts*
*Arrive at crappy looking mall*
“Market there Madame. See, fruit market.” *Points to fruit stand down the street*
“That’s not a market.”
“Yes. Yes. Local fruit market. I walk you there.”
“No. No. Forget it. We’ll just pay and walk around here.”
*Hand driver 40 rupees each, 10 more than agreed upon even though he never took us where he said he would*
“No. No. One hundred and fifty rupees each.”
“No. You said thirty rupees each.”
“No. No. That is not possible. I get gas. Two American dollars each.”
“No. That’s not what you said and you didn’t even take us where we wanted to go.”
*Finally, I just place the money on the back seat (he won’t take it out of my hand) and leave. I feel a little heartless, but I also feel angry. I know that this is just how they do things here. I know that no matter what we would have done, he would have still tried to take us to tourist shops and he would have still tried to get more money out of us than agreed. I feel bad that he didn’t get the commissions that he would have liked, but I also didn’t get to the market. I can’t just sit there and let someone try to cheat me. I think that we acted more than fairly by overpaying him for his services even when he didn’t stand up to his part of the deal. Nice but firm. End of story.*


Fragment 5

India in General
Burning curry mixed with garbage smell.
Heat. Humidity.
Flies. Mosquitoes. Big bugs everywhere.
Haze from pollution
Yellow rickshaws zipping everywhere
Motorcycles zipping everywhere
Horns beeping. Honk. Beep. Beep. Honk.
Brown cows, goats (some painted pink), and dogs roaming the streets
Women stitching flower pedals into garlands
Five lanes of traffic where there should be two
Men urinating against the walls
Whole families speeding by on one motor bike
Women dressed in beautiful, colorful saris
“800 rupees Madame. 800 rupees. Ok, 550 rupees. Special Price.”
Ancient temples
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Dirt.
Trash.
Grime.
“300 rupees Madame. Pretty. Good quality.”
Mud.
Urine.
Colorful signs.
Stores squished together
“Ok. 150 rupees. Please Madame. I need money.”
“Come inside Madame. Looking is free.”
Open front stands with dozens of long strands of tobacco packets hanging from them
Stalls lining the streets selling fruit, plastic trinkets, tacky jewelry
Honk. Honk. Beep. Beep.
Vendors cooking food to sell on the side of the road
“100 rupees Madame. Good gift for mother, sister.”
Women sitting on mats with fruit to sell
Walls of people to move through
Flower garland hanging everywhere
Women with babies begging for money
Hawkers trying to sell cheap plastic items or necklaces
No white people
A “little” English
Children holding out their hand
“Give me another 50 rupees Madame, I give you two more. Please Madame. Just 50 rupees more. My family Madame.”


Fragment 6

Varanasi

Baranasi (old name) is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all them. – Mark Twain

“Varanasi, the city of Shiva, on the bank of the sacred Ganges, is one of the holiest places in India. Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the waters of the Ganges, a ritual that washes away all sins. The city is an auspicious place to die, since expiring here offers moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It’s a magical city where the most intimate rituals of life and death take place in public on the city’s famous ghats.” (India Lonely Planet)

Five minutes into the bus ride from the airport to the hotel, I knew that I would fall in love with Varanasi. I was probably already in love. This was the India that I had come to see. It had all the things that Chennai had: dirt, pollution, rickshaws, garbage, hawkers, poverty, shops, local stalls, temples, mosquitoes, beggars, etc., but the ciaos was all on a smaller scale. There was less congestion, more space, fresher air, more moderate temperatures, and more obvious beauty and culture. For example, in contrast to the other three cities that I visited that were filled with the modern motorized rickshaws, most of the rickshaws in Varanasi were of the traditional type where a driver actually pedaled a bike with a carriage attached. I loved that. Basically, there was just a lot less crap to cut through to see the beauty and culture. This was my first impression of Varanasi, and it served to be true.

On our first day in Varanasi, we visited several historical sites including the Museum of Natural History (which housed relics dating back to 320 B.C.), the place where Buddha gave his first speech, the ruins of an ancient monastery, and a Buddhist Temple. I had never seen so much genuine ancient history in one place. It was absolutely gorgeous, but I just can’t even begin to get into everything that I saw here. I can tell you that walking through it gave me a beautiful peace of heart that I don’t know I’ve ever felt before. The hawkers in my face couldn’t rile me no matter how hard they tried. I politely told them “no thank you” and laughed (in a kind way) at their persistence, but I never got frazzled.

The highlight of this entire trip came for me the next day. No words can ever describe it, but I’m going to try.

The Ganges River

The bus dropped us off on a street leading to the Ganges River before 5:30 a.m. A light rain misted all around us and chilled the early morning air. The sun hadn’t yet begun to rise, but the streets were already starting to buzz with activity. Rickshaws, cows, and locals navigated the glistening cobblestone streets sleepily beginning to go about their business. Venders were already setting up along the road, selling goods related to the sacred Ganges, such as garlands of flowers and candles to send floating as offerings to the gods. Other venders made local foods on the side of the road to sell. Candles lit their tables to display their wares. There was a surreal, calming feeling to walking these narrow, lively streets in the dusk of the approaching morning towards one of the most holy, ritualistic places in the world. The misty morning had created a thin layer of mud over the road and it began to creep up my sandals and the bottom of my long skirt. After ten or fifteen minutes of walking, we reached the bank of the Ganges River and boarded two boats.

There were two boatmen in the back of each boat who rowed the boat us along the river as the sun began to rise. Ancient buildings lined the river – temples, budget accommodations, pilgrimage hotels, silk factories, yoga centers, and crematoriums set behind deep sets of steep concrete stairs. Bells played a beautiful, melodic song downstream to mark the morning light. Hindus worshiped and prayed along the concrete stairs and in temples and statues scattered along them. Along the banks, people ritualistically bathed, swam, drank, and brushed their teeth in the brown holy water. According to my Lonely Planet book, “Samples from the river show the water has 1.5 million faecal coliform bacteria per 100 mL of water. In water that is safe for bathing this figure should be less than 500!” According to my Indian guide, despite this figure, no one gets sick from the water, in fact, they believe that they need the water to live. He said that if a person from Varanasi had to leave for some reason on a trip, they would bring a jug of the river water with them, because they would believe that they would get very sick and die if they drank other water. The city completely revolves around the river.

A vendor boarded the boat and sold floating candles that we could wish upon and release into the river. Something very serious had been occurring at home and I was very very worried about someone very special to me. That particular day was an essential day. I had tried for days and days to call home to get news, however, I had been unable to get through at the right times. So, being in such a holy place was extremely special to me that day. I prayed so hard and as everyone released their candles into the river and they floated down the murky water like pinpoints of light, I prayed and wished very very hard on every single one of them. It comforted me and helped me feel like I was doing something when I couldn’t do anything. I felt a little closer to God even though it was a Hindu holy place, not a Christian. The energy was what mattered. Thankfully, today, I found out that my prayers were answered and things have become stable at home.

As our wishes floated down the Ganges, we approached one of the largest, oldest crematoriums on the river. The crematorium was alive with activity. Among the standard ritualistic activities being performed along the river, there was also a preparation of the dead occurring in various stages. We witnessed a couple of bodies being burned from the distance. At the river a body was carried down and lovingly washed with the water from the river. We witnessed another body (not cremated) being placed directly into the river (without being cremated), a little distance from the shore. There are a couple certain cases where the bodies are not first burned (children under eight and holy men are rested in the river without first being burned).

Vendors in boats came along our boat and tied themselves to it. They had wares in their boats such as post cards with pictures of the Ganges River, bottles for saving Ganges River water, jewelry, and statues of gods and goddesses. I bought a tarnished metal water holder with purple, blue and aqua stones on the top. It’s really beat up looking and is missing the side stones, but I thought that added to the charm. I filled it with Ganges water and spent the next three days, and two airplane rides, cradling it gently to make sure that I didn’t lose the water. It is definitely the most precious thing that I’ve collected so far on this trip. I have a feeling that I will spend my entire life making sure that I don’t lose the water every time I have to move it. I also got a sweet little whit statue of the Hindu God Ganesh. He is my favorite. When he was a little boy, he lost his head and his father replaced it with the head of an elephant. So, he has a God body and an elephant head. He is the God of good luck and overcoming obstacles. I have also been told that he is the patron of children.

After the sun had fully risen and we had spent a sufficient amount of time on the river, we pulled up to the crematorium to get off the boats. As we walked up the stairs, we passed the burning body of a rather young woman. A young man, probably her son, stood looking on somberly, but blankly. He looked up to our group passing and looking on the scene and I felt the energy of his silent sorrow like a rush of energy flying directly into my body. A man came up and said that we would have to pay him to take pictures of the body. I was horrified and silently prayed that no one would take him up on his horrific offer. Thankfully, no one did and everyone passed by reverently and respectfully. I was the last one in the procession and as I passed by the body and took a last look with the heavy heart that we are accustomed to in these situations as Westerners, I felt like the man was relieved with our quick, respectful passing. Maybe I am reading too much into this. If what I’ve been taught would be applied, he should be joyous that his loved one is being honored in such a holy way. But, I definitely connected on the sorrow and the relief at our passing. I have become a lot more sensitive to things of this nature between all the things that we’ve experienced and the practices we learn and apply in my Asian Religions class.

We proceeded up the side of the crematorium and entered the intricate maze of the old town. By the time we passed through the crematorium, the bottom of my skirt and my shoes (sandals) were entirely covered in mud. As my skirt brushed against my legs, they became more and more covered in mud with every step that I took. And, then we entered the most amazing place that I have ever seen in my entire life. It was a maze of cobblestone alleyways not big enough for cars or rickshaws to navigate. Ancient, colorful, eclectic buildings and temples were squished together in such a way that they all ran together in a collage of color and design. There were statues and paintings of gods everywhere. There would be a nook in the wall with a five foot high, statue wearing garlands of fresh flowers and other offerings, then five feet further, there would be an open door showing five holy men sitting in a circle in a dark room with candles doing some sort of worship or meditation, next you would see a little girl with a cow, then a beautiful temple, then a quant little traditional restaurant, and so on and so on and so on. Mixed in between were vendors with beautiful, unique wares that they were selling so much cheaper than anywhere else I was. There were garlands of fresh flowers hanging about everywhere and often the smell of incense and local food would fill my nose. Looking up, colorful banners strung between the buildings and tons of rather large and active monkeys played among the rooftops. I saw way more monkeys, at a closer proximity, than I did in the rainforest.

Mixed into all that ornamentation, were people going upon their daily life. These were truly the friendliest of the people that I came into contact with on my trip. This was the first place that I have been on this trip where more children are truly excited about your presence than are excited because they think that you will give them money or gifts. Of course there were still a few hawkers, usually young boys who hassled you a little bit, but that’s just part of the fun. I decided to try to clean up my muddy feet and legs a little bit because I thought that we were going to go into a temple (we ended up just viewing it from the outside). So, I hiked up my skirt a couple of inches so that the mud would be folded inside and tied it at the sides. Then I pulled out my trusty baby wipes (Thanks Danielle!!!) and “tried” to get some of the mud off my feet and my legs. A man nearby saw my fertile attempts and came over with a hose to clean off my feet and legs. I was so surprised and touched. I didn’t want to take advantage, so I let him hold the hose as I quickly got off the worst parts and then stepped away. But, he stopped me, pointing at the dirt on the back of my legs. So, he held the hose again, while I completely cleaned my legs and feet. That was such an amazing moment for me. I can’t explain it. After being hassled by people trying to scam you and get all your money for the past several days, it was just a refreshing change to have someone behave so kindly and selflessly. It notched my cloud level from 8 ½ all the way up to 9. I was truly blissful and at peace exploring this strange, eclectic hidden maze of a city.

After about a two hour walk, it was time to return. We suddenly came out of the maze into a larger street where vehicles could drive to find our buses. And, we left the Old City.

But, I didn’t forget her. As I sat at the airport, I was so torn. I felt the pull of the city calling me back. I didn’t want to leave. I knew I had to, but my heart didn’t want to. It was one of those moments where I actually considered the fact that I truly could just stay there and not get back on the ship if I wanted. I am serious. It was that special to me. I still feel this magnetic pull trying to drag me back . . . I’m not satisfied. I definitely need to return there and spend some real time there.


Fragment 7

On Being Cold Hearted

Now, anyone who knows me will know that I’m a very sensitive and caring person. Sometimes I still cry a little when I see a beggar on the street in Chicago. Really, I do. So, why didn’t the poverty touch me in India? Why have I become so cold towards it? That is what bothered me the most about the poverty in India, that I was cold to it. Why did my friends cry over the beggars and deformed people they saw while I looked on with compassion, but did nothing and accepted it as a way of life? I thought about this a lot, because my insensitivity really bothered me. It’s just not like me. We saw women with babies begging, children begging, people with missing limbs, people with underdeveloped legs that had to drag themselves with their arms, a boy with elephantitis that had feet the size of a football, and so on and so on and so on . . .

I just feel so skeptical of human nature in the situation that I’m in. I feel defensive, like I always have to be on guard. I feel like anyone I come in contact with who wants to help me or talk to me has ulterior motives. I’m not saying this is true everywhere in life, but in these touristy areas where there is so much poverty, I feel certain that the saying nothing is free holds true. And, in fact, my suspicion has not turned out wrong once on this trip. In fact, my suspicions have only deepened. I feel terrible that I always seem to be running from the local people, but the ones that I come into contact with only see dollar signs when they look at me. For example, a man with no legs sat outside a temple and begged us for money. When we moved on to another temple a short time later by bus, he had beaten us there and sat outside begging again. Hmmmmm. He obviously didn’t use his arms to drag himself and beat our bus. Of course, I feel compassion for this man, but I don’t feel like it will help anything to give him money.

Another theory that I have about my insensitivity is that I had already been told what to expect and so I built a wall around my heart as a defensive mechanism. I think that this is a likely scenario, because, I have noticed that it is not the big, obvious things that disturb me, such as the boy with the seriously deformed feet, but the little instances that tug at my heart and make a big impression on me. Here are two instances that touched me. Maybe they aren’t that impressive, but these are the moments where my wall came down and I felt pain:

1 - As I was leaving a monument and was getting back on the bus, a little girl ran by, carrying a baby. She was no more than a baby herself. She couldn’t have been older than four or five. The baby was probably around a year old. The little girl ran right into my leg with the baby really hard and then kept running. I could hear the baby start screaming. I just stopped in my tracks, horrified and started after the girl. I couldn’t bear that I had hurt that baby even though I hadn’t done anything. I wanted to yell after the little girl and make her be careful with the baby. I wanted to find her parents and shake the hell out of them for letting this baby run around with a baby. I wanted to cry. But, I didn’t do any of that. I froze. I stared. I thought. I bit back tears and then I moved on.

2 – The other incident that really bothered me was not even something that I witnessed first hand. One night while talking with some friends, they told me something horrific. It’s almost too terrible to believe. But, several people insist to have seen it. They say that one of the beggar women carried a dead baby. One said that they had actually touched it and felt the cold stiffness. The rest had just known by the sight of it. Again, I wanted to cry. So badly. But to felt to do so would be somehow selfish. So, I quietly contemplated and mourned and moved on with a little more consciousness and sadness in my heart.

So, am I just a cold and heartless person??? I don’t know. Sometimes, while listening to other people talk about the horror of the things they saw and realize that they were the same things I saw and brushed off, I wonder. Maybe I’m just a little more worldly and experienced in this type of thing? Maybe I’m just better at blocking my feelings? I’m not sure. I guess that’s one of the things that I need to continue contemplating.


Fragment 8

Randomness

India flights – No batteries, no pickles, no chilli powder, no power saws, no hammers, no ice picks, no bow and arrows, etc. However, knives are ok if they are under three and a half centimeters. They feed you huge, really excellent warm meals on every flight, even those that are only an hour.
Security Checks – Women are checked behind curtains by women. Sometimes the checks are very intrusive.
Eastern Toilets – It’s a hole in the ground and you squat. I did it!!!
Indian food – Good, but I’m ready for a break. Not necessarily my favorite.
Diet Soda -- $2 a can in fancy hotels. Not available anywhere else. What??? $2 a can!!!
Visiting a Hookah Bar in Delhi at midnight – amazing and potent
Seeing the Taj Mahal at sunset – indescribably beautiful and surreal
Seeing the largest Hindu Temple in Dehli – huge, intricate, beautiful, sacred
Having to cover my head to go into a Temple in Dehli – humbling
Eating at Pizza Hut one night – the best thing ever! I needed a break from the Indian food.Four flights, two train rides, and innumerable bus rides in four days
Amazing trip leaders – Meghan and Michael (two young RDs who are married to each other)The guards at the gate of the Taj Mahal making the women stand in line for an hour even though we had tickets and were at the front of the line - they wanted a bribe
The amazing group of kids who I shared these experiences with – new friends – old friends
Watching the WHITE SOX WIN their first world series game.
Somehow making it back to the ship with everything I bought
The ice cream in India. Amazingly creamy and rich
Jordan sharing his pillow with my on the train ride to the Taj so that I was able to sleep the whole way
Getting a cold
Not getting malaria (fingers crossed)
Not getting bit by a monkey
Getting a small (thank goodness) case of Delhi Belly on the day we returned to the ship
Buying fabulous flat sparkly shoes for $6 a pair, in INDIA.
Finding a book of Hindu Gods and Goddesses


Fragment 9

Wow, I left out a lot of important details and I still got to eleven pages single spaced (my longest entry ever – and I didn’t even narrate – can you imagine if I had!). That’s just how India was, impossible to describe. That’s why I didn’t want to do it. People say that India will change you. I did a lot of touristy things and didn’t get much time to interact with locals, and so on the way back to the ship, I knew I saw a lot, but I wasn’t sure that I had really gotten a lot of culture. I didn’t think that I’d had any life changing experiences. However, soon after I boarded the ship, I realized that I had changed. I have no idea how. I just know that I feel different now. I know that things that were important to me seven days ago, are completely insignificant and things that didn’t matter much are now greater priorities. Maybe this is a temporary change. I’m not really sure what is different yet. But, while I was busy looking at the sights, India got into my blood and somehow changed me.

Myanmar tomorrow . . .

Updates From Sea . . . Almost to India . . .

Disclaimer: I think that I am going to start adding some names throughout this blog where appropriate. So many of my good friends tell me that their parents are reading my blog and don’t even know that we’re good friends. Plus, I want to have names for myself to better remember events later.

THE WHITE SOX ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!! I am seriously pumped. My Chicago friend, Patti (I know her mom reads this) and I found out yesterday morning after global studies. We were so pumped that we ran to our rooms and donned ourselves in black and white attire. For the finishing touch, our friend Crystal did Sox tattoos on our upper arms. They were actually pretty tough looking.

Well, the last couple of days have been pretty interesting on this ship. As of yesterday after global studies, the internet has been free because they have been making some repairs. You might not think that’s a big deal. But, it is. It’s a huge deal. I have never seen so many people littering the common areas at all hours of the night. There were people who stayed up all night last night just to use the internet, a lot of people. I might have been one of those people except that I have no computer charger and my computer was dead. Right now I am borrowing my friend’s charger, but I hate to ask too often. Anyways, the internet is ridiculously slow and I’ve been unable to download my e-mail at all. It’s actually really frustrating. The only thing that you can really do well with the free internet is talk on IM.

Besides the excitement of the free internet, we had a pub night last night. We had two themes: freaks and geeks and CEOs and secretaries (corporate hoes basically). I went as a gothic glam freak. I wore a short black skirt, sexy black top, sparkly black necklace, fish nets, black ballet slippers, which I added black ribbon and wrapped it up my lower legs, a black rope tied around my upper arm, a suede and furry black long jacket, very dark eyes, very pale lips, and black magic marker streaks in my hair. As usual, there were tons of really unique outfits. The whole thing was a really fun party. And, it really really freaked me out when I walked through the ship at like 2 a.m. and there were people everywhere (due to the free internet). It has been complete ciaos on this ship. But then, it always is.

I woke up this morning with the drowsy, incomplete memory that always accompanies the morning after pub night. This time I had blue hair to show for it. Apparently, I didn’t see the value in washing my hair last night and somehow my black, magic marker streaks had turned to blue. After two showers, I am resigned to the fact that I now have some light blue streaks in my blond hair. I think that it will come out after a couple more washings. But to tell you the truth, I’m ok with my blue streaks. I’m planning to dye my hair a darker color after Myanmar anyways. So, worse comes to worse, I make a unique fashion statement for a couple weeks. I’m not worried about it. I do find it funny though that this is the second time that I’ve woken up with blue hair on this trip.

Anyways, even after my night of partying, I woke up at the wee hour of 7 a.m. and made myself rally to study for my Geology mid-term. In my Asian Religion class I got my mid-term back. I got an A. Geology wasn’t nearly as successful. The best thing that I can say about it is that it is over. It was really difficult. I guess there’s no use in worrying about it since I won’t find out my grade for two weeks. I was so exausted after the test that I went to my room and took a nap (which I rarely do) for four hours.

Now, about India . . . We will be there tomorrow morning. I am so nervous. I am going on a really intense trip to the Taj and Varanasi. They schedule about six hours a night for us to sleep. I leave the day after tomorrow at 4:45 a.m. Tomorrow I have free to wander in Chennai. People say that India is the most intense place we will go on this trip. They say that it should be a continent on its own. They have told us that we have never seen such poverty. I’m really nervous. This will be completely unlike anywhere I’ve ever been before. Even our ship has taken on physical changes. They have lined the floors of the hallway with plastic (because there will be a lot of dirt that they don’t want us tracking in) and have replaced our white bathroom towels with blue (in an effort to have us reuse our towels more so that we can conserve water). As of tomorrow, we are officially on water conservation. The water from the port area is not clean enough for us to use, even with our filtering system and apparently the water that the ship has to buy is very very expensive. My sea is sleeping up on deck tonight, but I think that I will sleep in my room. I want to be rested and ready to start what I think will be the adventure of my life tomorrow.

On top of everything, we only have one day at sea between India and Myanmar, so it is going to be really hard to recuperate and prepare for Myanmar in such a short period of time. I am going to try to write my journal daily while in port so that when I get back on the ship, I only have to type it up.

But, ready or not, here I go . . .

P.S. Today official marks our half way point on the journey. This fact really depresses me. This program really needs to be a full year.

Position Report

October 18, 2005
Latitude 07 degrees - 06 minutes South,
Longitude 082 degrees - 10 minutes East

October 17, 2005
Latitude 03 degrees - 00 minutes South,
Longitude 080 degrees - 02 minutes East

Overwhelming News From Home!!!

Since I have to beg and borrow a computer charger, my computer has been dead for several days, and I have been unable to check my e-mail. For the last couple of weeks, I have been trying to find out how my cousin Wendy is doing. She was due to have her baby October 30th. I sent her a couple e-mails and never heard back. I finally sent my dad an e-mail a couple days ago and asked him to have her write to me. I have really been thinking about her and wondering how she is doing. It’s just so damn hard to stay in touch here. So, just this very moment I opened my e-mail and had the following message from my dad:

Wendy had her baby today 6 LBS 5 oz 19 in long. She will be out of the hospital tomorrow that is Monday.

Wendy and Ronnie: Congratulations! I love you guys and obviously am thinking of you. I seriously can’t hold back my tears. I think I may need to leave class. People are going to start looking at me. I hope that you aren’t mad at me for broadcasting this information, but I am sitting in Global Studies (we are ten and a half hours ahead of you now), and I need to get out the emotion. I am so so so overwhelmed. I am happy and excited, but I am fighting back tears. I am so sad that I am not there. Give that baby girl (I’m assuming it was a girl as planned?) lots of hugs and kisses for me. Is she Adrienne Renee???

Whoever gets this and knows when and where I can get ahold of Wendy, let me know. Send me a phone number. I must call her ASAP. Give me Chicago time, and I can figure it out. Just remember that I am ten and a half hours ahead, so don’t give me a time that will be at 3:30 in the morning for me if possible.


And as I post, I get some other amazing news – WHAT??? THE WHITE SOX ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!! I am going to die of excitement. My Chicago friend and I just found out together. We’re going to change into our black and white and do a little face painting. Got to represent!!!

More Fun Filled Days On the Indian Ocean . . .

We’ve been at sea for several days now, so I thought that I’d write an update. This has been such a busy crossing. The first couple of days I spent in the standard routine: catch up on sleep, eat, unpack, attend class (mostly), eat, attend global studies, study and do homework, eat, attend club meetings, attend various community colleges and study sessions, eat, watch movies, lay out on deck and tan, eat, and socialize. However, there have been some special events this crossing that I’d like to write about.


The dreaded mid-terms . . .

I had two mid-terms this crossing. My first one, Asian Religion, was yesterday. I really didn’t do a ton of studying for it. But, it was a dark cloud over my head for the first couple days of the crossing. It consisted of four, one-page essays. It really wasn’t that bad, and I was so relieved when it was finished. I celebrated by spending the rest of the day up on deck basking in the glorious sunshine and reading the book that I’ve been reading for pleasure (stopping for socializing breaks of course) while listening to my ipod and sipping a diet Pepsi. Talk about heaven on earth . . .

However, the worst is yet to come. I have my Geology mid-term coming up the day after tomorrow. Now that one is going to be killer. I am just completely lost in that class. Science of any type is just not my thing. And, this teacher, while very nice and intelligent, just doesn’t reach me. I haven’t started on the reading yet and I also haven’t really paid much attention in class. So, tomorrow is going to be a study hell. On a promising note, I got back my big paper that I was so miserable writing last crossing. And, guess what??? I got an A-. So, I guess there’s hope for me still on this mid-term. I can usually rally for this kind of thing.


Touring the bridge . . .

A couple days ago I randomly took a tour of the bridge of the ship. It was very interesting to see where all the navigation occurs. We got to see all the instruments they use to navigate and control the ship. There were lots of satellite map programs and gadgets of various sorts. Surprisingly, there were only two people working in the entire bridge during our tour, including the man giving us the tour. It was also funny to see that the actual steering wheel of the ship is smaller than a car steering wheel – no big wooden theatrical wheel. In honesty, the tour was a little dry to me (I’m just not a gadget centered person), but I’m glad that I did it. We also got to take the prerequisite picture in the captain’s hat. So, all in all, it was a successful half an hour – saw the bridge, learned a little, and got a cute picture in a $700 hat.

And now, the main event . . . .


The Sea Olympics

Like all SAS traditions, the Sea Olympics far exceeded my expectations. The Sea Olympics had been talked up since day one on this ship. During the last couple of crossings, there had been various meetings held with each sea to choose team names, mascots, chants, talents for the talent show, and who would represent in each event.

My Team Stats

Sea: Yellow Sea

Team Name: Yellow Fever

Official Chant:
Who’s got the fever?
I’ve got the fever.
Who’s got the fever.
I’ve got the fever.
Who’s got the fever.
We’ve got the fever
Yellow Fever!
Yellow Fever!
Yellow Fever!

Official Song: (sung to “We All Live In A Yellow Submarine”)
We all live in the Yellow Colored Sea.
The Urine Colored Sea.
The Sea that smells like pee.

We all live in the Yellow Colored Sea.
The STD free sea.
You want to sleep with me.

We all live in the Yellow Colored Sea.
The sea that is a sea.
The sea you want to be.

*Ok. I know this sounds completely lame. But, trust me, it’s a blast with 80 college kids belting it out in a competitive situation.

So, last night, as the games began, students flocked to the union supporting their sea in various states of dress and undress sporting their official color, names, and slogans. There were only thirty five seats in the union for each sea. So, there was a mad line for admission. Each sea was in packs of like colored kids randomly belting out their team chants and heckling the other teams (this was before we were told that we weren’t allowed to heckle). It was a complete madhouse. I was the fourth yellow sea person in line, so I made sure to fight to keep my seat in that line even once the crowd started pushing forward and mingling.

The opening ceremony consisted of a few speeches, the lighting of a torch, an official chance for each sea to do their chants, and a lot of unofficial chanting. Then the talent show commenced. Each of the nine seas had two acts in the show. Wow, was I ever impressed. Every single act was amazing. I have no idea how people came up with this stuff. Most acts involved many sea members and most were comedic. For example, there was a girl who sang opera, but before she sang opera, they did a little skit pretending that it was one of the tough guys who was going to sing and he pretended to sing but it was really her voice and then she came out from behind the curtain and sang. The kids on the ship put on a really really cute skit that they made up themselves incorporating a ton of fairy tale characters. There were a couple comedy acts making fun of our global studies professor, with his blessing of course. There were tons of crazy dance routines, skits, and songs. And, the list just goes on.

Yellow Sea ended up with two really funny acts. First, we had a girl who wrote a really funny song about not flushing anything but s*&$ down the toilets on the ship. Since this is all an issue that we hear a lot about, it was hilarious. She specifically talked about condoms, tampons, and joints. Our second act was a guy who sang this really fast fun song that listed all the countries in the world (well, almost). We actually put together the act that very night revolving around his song (that he already knew obviously), but it was really really funny. We first had him go up to the mic and act like he had a serious love song to sing and he pulled up a girl from the audience and pretended like he had a crush on her and wanted to sing this song to her. So, he has this girl come up to stage and starts singing the song for a couple minutes with some serious backup interpretive dancers (although people were kind of giggling at their serious ballet dancing). Then, suddenly, one of the guys from our group stands up and throws a shoe at him and starts screaming, “Stop, stop, this isn’t representing the Yellow Sea.” So, the guy singing starts insisting he has something better and he starts with this fast, fun song listing all the countries in the world. Meanwhile, a group of six of us come in from the sides and start doing this silly dance behind him. Now, we had never actually practiced this dance, so I’m sure it was terrible, but it was just for comedic effect. But, seriously, props for me for having absolutely no shame in going to the front and making an absolute, ungraceful, unsexy fool of myself. Anyways, at the end of the song, we held up this big sign that said: Disclaimer, we may have omitted countries created within the past couple of years. It was really hilarious and fun.

I am just so blown away by how amazing every single act was. I’ll tell you, any one act in this show could have been placed in any other talent show that I’ve ever seen and blown the entire thing away. I guess that’s what you get when you put seven hundred of the best and brightest students in the country together on a ship with limited entertainment and resources.

Anyways, after the talent show, people (including myself) just ran around the ship as usual looking for things to keep themselves entertained. I actually called it an early night and was asleep before 1 a.m.

And, I slept, and slept, and slept, and slept, until 11 a.m. the next morning. Was it ever glorious. After I finally dragged myself out of bed, I showed and got myself all yellowed up. There were some events that I had missed seeing in the morning, but I wasn’t too worried about it. I ended up watching musical chairs (Yellow Sea took third place) and part of the scavenger hunt (we had last place ) before lunch. Lunch was a splendid affair where I pretended like it was a holiday and stuffed myself with sloppy joes on hot dog buns (which I had been craving and we’d never had on the ship) and fried potatoes. It was so good. After lunch, I watched the last five players in the Texas Holdem tournament. Yellow Sea came in second place. Then I caught the push-up/pull-up contest, Twister (third place), the mashed potato sculpting contest, beer (done with lemon aid) pong (first place, leave it to Yellow Sea), and Legends of the Hidden Temple (FIRST PLACE BABY!!!). There were also lots of other competitions such as tug of war, monopoly, limbo, scrabble, and checkers.

Unfortunately, the one event that I was signed up for, the water balloon toss, was cancelled because of in climate weather. However, my RD asked me to participate in the relay race as the person who ate the peanut butter and whistled because the girl who was supposed to do it, didn’t know how to whistle. So, it ended up that I had an event anyways. I wouldn’t have cared either way. I had a great time just being an official team cheerleader. I definitely led the pack of cheerers and had a fabulous time. If there was a spirit award for each sea, I would definitely have won on the girls side. I screamed, cheered, and chanted my ass off all day. It made me feel like I was at the longest baseball game ever. I truly was exhausted by the middle of the day. Each time I did a big scream sequence, I felt like I was about to pass out.

Anyways, the relay race was pretty much the last big event of the day. It consisted of ten teammates doing various silly things in sequence including things like the wheelbarrow, chicken dance, and bear crawl. As, I said above, my job was to eat a spoonful of peanut butter and whistle and then tag someone down the hall. It hit me at some point that I wasn’t really a strong whistler and I had never tried this out before. Apparently, some people had done a lot of practicing for this event. So, as my time drew near, I was getting a little nervous. As I stood in the hall waiting, I did a little flirting with the guy who was judging the contest and when the time came, he became a pretty easy judger, and my half whistle made it through. Unfortunately, our team ended up in seventh place for the event. But, it’s all in good fun anyways. I was just glad that I didn’t hold the team up too much.

After the relay race, it was time for dinner. Dinner wasn’t extraordinary, but, the beef stir-fry was pretty good. After dinner, it was time for the closing ceremonies in the union. Before getting our final points and finding out who the Olympic champs were, there was one even left, synchronized swimming. Due to the weather, they had decided to hold it in the union. Yes, synchronized swimming, in the union. And, was it ever funny. Again, I am completely amazed at the creativity and talent of the performers. Every single performance was amazing. Obviously, people made a lot of changes to their performances to make them good on land and what we ended up with was a group of really silly and sexy dances done in various states of dress and mostly undress (i.e. bikinis and Speedos). It was fabulous. Yellow Sea definitely had the best routine. We had four guys and one girl. They guys dressed in Speedos and drag and the girl wore a yellow bikini. They had a fun montage of music and they did an amazing, well practiced, and funny routine including a couple lifts. We didn’t see the actual placing for the event yet, but I’ll be really surprised if we didn’t come in first for that event.

Then the event that everyone was waiting for, the announcing of the ranking and the winners. Yellow Sea ended up in fourth place over all. I think that most of us were pretty happy with that. We didn’t make a lot of first place wins, but we dominated with consistency and spirit.

After the closing ceremony, there was a dessert party up on the pool deck. There was a large buffet with tons of fruits and special desserts. I had some good brownies and an apple and enjoyed dancing and hanging out with friends for a while. Then, I came downstairs to my room to call it a somewhat early night and here I am now . . .

So, we have two more days until we get to India. I’m really nervous about the next leg of our journey. The next places that we are visiting are going to be very intense. And, we are only going to have one day to recoup and regroup between India and Myanmar. All I have to say is that I am so grateful that I have big SAS trips planned in each port. I couldn’t imagine having to do anything else right now. The biggest things that I have going in the next two days are my Geology mid-term the day after tomorrow and pub night tomorrow night. Those probably won’t work out to be a great combination. But, as it’s the only pub night of the crossing (thank gosh for my sanity) I am pretty excited. The theme is freaks and geeks, so that will be interesting.

Tonight, as we often do, we are setting our clocks ahead. What is unusual is that we are not setting them back the usual hour, but only half an hour this time. Apparently, India and Myanmar are on a different time system than we are.

Other Major (to me) Events of the Crossing
I watched the Butterfly Effect. This was major to me, because I absolutely loved it. It was so disturbing.
I ate my first PB&J sandwich on this trip (I’ve never really been a fan)
I sang Karaoke completely sober and completely rocked the union. I was loud, silly, and obnoxious and I loved it.
I gave a long, silly interview to Sea TV at 3 a.m. in which I discussed the possibility of jumping off the ship and swimming to the nearest island for cheese sticks (Mandy will understand the reference).
***Do you all see my inhibitions slipping away here***

A Personal Reflection About How I Am Changing
I don’t know if I have mentioned this before, but every once in a while, I notice little things about myself that have changed. I’m not quite sure how they will fit into the overall picture when I get home, but nonetheless, I find them very interesting. Something that I’ve really noticed in this last crossing is how outgoing I am and have become. Now, I’ve always known that I was outgoing, but during this crossing, I feel like I’ve let my inhibitions down and stepped so far out of my comfort zone in many situations. I’ve discussed many of them above.

I’ve somewhat recently become friends with a guy who is just crazy and runs around the ship creating a tornado effect wherever he goes. Everyone knows him and he just freaks people out with his complete ADD energy. When I started hanging out with him, I didn’t really notice the similarities between our personalities. I just thought that I was able to deal with him so well because I was a patient person who had done a lot of babysitting in her time. It suddenly clicked in my mind one day that our personalities are actually a lot alike. I said to his roommate one day, “You know, I think that me and _____ are actually a lot alike. I think that he is just like me but on a lot of speed.” (sidebar – I have never done speed) His roommate looked at me and said, “No. There is no difference. You are exactly the same.” Now, that’s a stretch, but it’s been said once or twice recently that I’m the girl version of him.

I just find it interesting. I never felt myself so completely, outrageously outgoing, but apparently I am. And, when I lose the inhibitions of wanting to look good and cute all the time, my personality becomes even bigger. It actually feels really good and therapeutic to just let it all go and be completely silly, to just commit to looking like an idiot and going with it and truly not caring. I told someone that I was an accounting major the other day and she couldn’t believe it. She said, “no, you need to be in P.R.” That just cracks me up, because I’ll bet that most of my friends at home would think that I’d make the perfect, responsible, sensible accountant. So, I wonder if I’ve changed that much or if I’m just finally in the environment where I have the freedom to unleash my full personality. Just a reflection.

Other topics that I’d like to write about soon but not tonight – The Phenomenon of the Chicago Accent??? Huh??? and How Laundry Day Makes Me The Smelly Kid For Three Days

Position Report Catch-up

* Sorry guys. I know that I’ve been lacking in this department. I will try to stay more on top of the ball from now on.*

October 16, 2005
Latitude 1 degree - 06 minutes South,
Longitude 077 degrees - 05 minutes East

October 15, 2005
Latitude 4 degrees - 41 minutes South,
Longitude 074 degrees - 30 minutes East

October 14, 2005
Latitude 8 degrees - 00 minutes South,
Longitude 072 degrees - 06 minutes East

October 13, 2005
Latitude 12 degrees - 35 minutes South,
Longitude 066 degrees - 36 minutes East

October 12, 2005
Latitude 17 degrees - 18 minutes South,
Longitude 060 degrees - 52 minutes East

October 11, 2005
The MV Explorer reluctantly departed Port Louis, Mauritius at 2220 local time with all passengers on board.

October 9, 2005
The MV Explorer arrived in Port Louis, Mauritius at 0800 local time.

October 8, 2005
Latitude 23 degrees - 28 minutes South,
Longitude 052 degrees - 11 minutes East

October 7, 2005
Latitude 26 degrees - 06 minutes South,
Longitude 047 degrees - 06 minutes East

October 6, 2005
Latitude 27 degrees - 50 minutes South,
Longitude 043 degrees - 20 minutes East

October 5, 2005
Latitude 29 degrees - 44 minutes South,
Longitude 038 degrees - 59 minutes East

October 4, 2005
Latitude 32 degrees - 27 minutes South,
Longitude 031 degrees - 35 minutes East

October 3, 2005
Latitude 35 degrees - 00 minutes South
Longitude 022 degrees - 33 minutes East.

Mauritius – Too Little Time . . .

When we found out that we would spend three days in Mauritius, I thought that would be plenty of time. I was expecting to spend three lazy days going to internet cafes, running errands, hanging on the beach, and partying. Well, I did party and hang on the beach, but there was so much more to Mauritius than I ever imagined. And, I suspect, had we spent a week there, I would have still wished for more time.

What did I expect from Mauritius??? - - I expected an expensive, built up, wired (exact phrase given at pre-port), touristy island with a French influence. Something akin to St. Maarten? I expected three lazy days on the beach, partying with 700 SASsy kids. I expected it to be like any other island that I’ve ever visited.

What did I find??? - - A very very unique place, unlike any other I’ve been to. I would say that the prevailing culture was Indian. I have never really been around a concentrated Indian population, so this was a big culture shock for me. Technically, the national language is English, but the first language of most citizens is French.

Although I expected this to be the least cultural place that we visited, I was entirely wrong. I actually feel, and I’m sure that a lot of people would disagree with this, that this was the biggest culture shock that I’ve felt on this trip thus far. What I experienced in the other three countries that we’ve visited is looking at poverty and traditional ways of life from a distance and having to take tours to get up close. In Mauritius, every taxi drive took you through poverty stricken (maybe this is too strong of a word, but certainly run down) neighborhoods made up of shacks. Even most of the local stores and restaurants you saw as you drove through looked run down. The people you saw were wearing traditional Indian clothing. And, brightly colored, highly embellished temples dotted the landscape. I got a kick out of seeing a fifteen/twenty foot Buddha through a temple window on one cab ride. All in all, I found Mauritius to be extremely cultural and different from anywhere else I’ve been, just for virtue of soaking in the culture without actually participating much. I am absolutely stoked about India now after I’ve had this little taste of Indian culture. I CANNOT believe that we’re on our way there now!

So, what did I do???

On the first day, I got off the ship without a single plan. I spent a little time walking around the port area. There wasn’t much open since it was a Sunday. Just a few restaurants and a small market. The market was closing when we showed up, but it didn’t look like there was anything special there. It looked like a lot of cheap crap (plastic bangles, clothes, etc.) that I can probably get a lot cheaper in India. After wandering for a while, we headed out to Flick and Flack Beach. It was about a forty five minute drive away from port. When we got there, we explored the street area stopping for a drink, a little shopping, and to check out a couple places to possibly rent out for the night. After exploring the little strip mall, we went and took a long walk on the beach. We took a pretty long walk along the shore. We actually joked that that was our idea of a hike.

After a half an hour or so, we saw a place on the beach that looked like a beach bar, so we went up to explore. It turned out that it was a really fun, tropical type hotel with a bar/dining/pool area on the beach. It reminded me a lot of the hotels on the beach in Daytona Beach (spring breakesc) – not the nicest place ever, but tropical and fun, and of course right on the beach. It turned out that a lot of SAS kids were rolling in. So, me and another girl decided to book a room for that night. We ended up with a really cool little bungalow right by the pool. After that, the four of us girls who came together went and did a little shopping nearby. Then we all headed back to the ship together.

My friend Tiff and I ran onto the ship and got ourselves dolled up and packed enough stuff for the next two days. Then we took another forty five minute cab ride back to the hotel. We arrived just in time to have a drink before dinner. Dinner was included in our room price. It was a really good buffet dinner. I sat at a table with a lot of nice kids, several of which I had yet to have the pleasure of meeting.

After dinner, virtually every SAS kid staying at the place decided that they wanted to go to some house party being thrown (fill in the blank – at a crew member’s house, at a hostel, by some SASsy kids at a rented bungalow). So, about thirty kids got into separate taxis and took off. I was waiting for my turn to get in a taxi when a taxi showed up with three of my good girlfriends from the ship. One of the girls was one of the girls who had been with us when we found the hotel, so they came their purposely. They had randomly decided that they wanted to sleep on the beach and had decided to come hang with me and leave their bags in my room. So, they dropped off their bags in our room, we all had a shot, and about nine of us got into a van and went in search of this elusive house party. We had two different people with the same address, and we still didn’t find the house party. We got a nice little tour of the area though. And, it gave us a chance to pick up some CHEAP ($3) bottles of rum from a roadside stand (yes, a roadside stand, no liquor store necessary, haha).

When we got back to the hotel, we headed down to the beach and had a party with our rum. It’s a good thing that we picked up the rum too, because we drank the bar out of almost everything it had pretty early in the night. I don’t know how that always seems to happen. They’re never prepared for us at these resort/restaurant bars. I can count at least three times that I’ve been there when we’ve drank them out of their tequila on this trip.

Anyways, things got pretty crazy on the beach and before I knew it, there were naked people everywhere running into the Indian ocean. You will all be extremely disappointed to know (besides my dad) that I didn’t participate. I guess that I’m just a little too modest for that kind of thing. I just wasn’t feeling it. Instead, I did a lot of laughing and blushing and then helped all the drunk, naked people find their clothes (mom mode kicked in for the first time on this trip). I’m really sad that I’m such a wuss. I wouldn’t expect it of myself. But, the next day when I heard some of the guys giving a negative review to one of the girls’ bodies, I was really glad that I’d made the choice I did.

Anyways, after a lot of drinking and shenanigans, everyone started to drift off to bed. Everything would have ended quietly had not been for A.J. (you all remember him – he’s one of the few people who I name in this blog because he just does such silly silly things that need to be outed publicly and I can just imagine the stories he’s told about me in his blog – we always seem to randomly end up at the same places).

He stopped by my room to drop off one of the girls who was going to crash on my floor and decided that he needed to use the washroom. My initial thought was to say, “A.J., use your own washroom.” But, no, I didn’t. Well, instead of flushing the toilet, he turned some knob which caused water to rapidly shoot out of the wall and flood my entire bathroom and bedroom. He came out of the bathroom dazed and like “OMG, it’s like meet the parents style in there.” I’m half sleeping when it hits me what he’s saying. He’s just standing there with no idea what to do. So, I go in there and turn on the light (why it wasn’t on, I have no damn idea) and turn off the knob. And, here comes a voice from the bedroom (one of the girls staying on my floor). We go out there to see why she’s talking to herself and discover that not only is there an inch of water in the bathroom, but it’s also flooded the entire bedroom floor. Since three girls were supposed to sleep there, that was a big problem.

I made A.J. go find towels and clean up the mess. Of course though, the floor was still pretty wet along with a lot of our stuff and the sleeping bags that the girls were going to use. So, after a little controversy and someone throwing up in my sink that would not drain, it was finally arranged that the girls were going to go sleep in Chad and A.J.’s dry room.

Of course I couldn’t go to sleep without some drunk ass SAS boy sneaking into my bed and passing out. I didn’t even care at this point and just passed out on the other side of the bed until my roommate came back and we had to kick him out of bed physically. Good times . . . really . . .

The next day, we got up and had a nice breakfast and decided that we wouldn’t rent our room again that night and would instead check out another part of the island later in the day. So, we spent a few hours laying out on the beach and generally enjoying life. Then we got up and went on a long walk around some shops, some random streets, and walked back along the beach at sunset. By the time we got back to the hotel, we still hadn’t decided what we were doing for the night. The general consensus of the girls I was hanging with was that they were going to stay at the hotel again but sleep on the beach. That was absolutely not what I wanted to do. So, I was really happy to see a lot of other friends on our beach when we returned. It turned out that they had hung at the beach all afternoon and were heading to dinner and out to some clubs on another part of the island. So, I hopped on the bandwagon and took off with them.

Once we got back to the port area for dinner, the group of 20 decided to break into two groups to go eat. I ended up with a group of six. This kid knew of a really authentic Chinese restaurant in the Chinatown. He had been there the night before with a girl from China. I tried all kinds of crazy things that I had never had before – shark fin soup, pork fat, and duck. None of it made me gag, but I don’t think that I’d necessarily ever try any of it again. One event that did transpire during dinner was one of my guy friends jokingly betting me that I couldn’t not speak for ten minutes. Haha. Very funny. I know I talk a lot, but seriously, I don’t think it’s that bad . . . Anyways, I easily won and he ended up paying for my dinner. I think it was just an excuse for him to pay. It was actually really sweet. Especially since I actually didn’t have enough rupees on me to pay for my full share of dinner. Funny how stuff like that works out. Another one of the guys made me a paper rose out of one of the napkins. It was really really sweet. We need guys like this in Chicago.

After a death walk from Chinatown back to the ship, we had half an hour to get ready to head out to the clubs. I did the best I could with a bag of wet clothes (thanks A.J. J). I ended up at three different clubs that night. It was so fun running into all the SAS kids that I know. A highlight of the night was trying these Springbok shots. They tasted like mint chocolate-chip ice cream. One of the girls I had, had dinner with (who is coincidently from Chicago) made the best comment on this topic. She said, “if we can’t see Springboks (an animal) in Kenya, at least we can drink them in Mauritius.” It was classic.

I ended my night with a packed (probably eighteen person) free cab ride back to port. Apparently it was free because of all the money spent at the club. The whole thing was a blast and I think that I got to bed around fourish.

The next day, I had no idea what I was going to do. I really wanted to go to some waterfalls. I made a bunch of phone calls and didn’t get ahold of anyone. So, I got myself dressed and started out of the ship. Luckily, I ran into some people heading out to lunch just as I was getting off. So, I went and had lunch with them near the port. They were heading to some beaches, so I was just going to break off and go shopping after lunch. Coincidently, I ran into a friend heading to the falls just as we finished lunch. Then, we ran into two more people who wanted to go.

So, we all got into a cab and took an hour long drive to Tamarin Falls. For some reason, I thought that we’d just be dropped off by some water falls and get to swim in them. Nope, we hiked it. It was a long, hard hike, but at least we had a local guide to help us out. We couldn’t have done it alone. We ran into another group of eight SASsy kids. So, we all ended up doing the hike pretty much together. We saw probably six or seven waterfalls. We swam in the largest one and got to go up to a place about thirty feet up and jump off. Since I have huge vertigo issues, this was a very scary and fulfilling experience for me. Hitting the water hurt a little, and it was freezing cold, but I was so happy that I’d done it. I really impress myself with my adventurousness sometimes.

After the two to three hour trek up boulders, trees, and waterfalls, we returned back to port. We made a quick stop at a local liquor store. It wasn’t even large enough to hold everyone who wanted to go in at the same time. And, the rum was all on a really high shelf, so one of the kids had to stand on a table and hand the bottles down. It was actually pretty funny. Although, I’m sure this is the kind of thing that our dean would not be happy to see. Just so everyone knows, we were completely respectful and helped stimulate the economy. I’m sure the people were happy enough to have us for the full five minutes we were in their hair.

After we got back on the ship and changed, we headed back into the port area to do some last minute eating, shopping, and drinking. We went to a Chinese restaurant with the group that we hiked with and had a fabulous time. The port area is always such a blast before we have to get back on the ship because everyone is out living it up before on-ship time.

Anyways, on-ship time came and as far as I know everyone was accounted for and no one was kicked off this time. As usual, I said goodbye to Mauritius until her glimmering city lights were out of view. This time I was on the sixth deck aft and there was cake, but the feeling was still the same - an electric energy and satisfaction radiating from the past amazing days and a sad feeling at leaving my new world behind, probably never to return.

With that I will say good night.

Best wishes and love to you all!

P.S. I am so psyched and just a little nervous about getting to India. I have two midterms during this crossing. Things are going to be really intense starting with India. In between India we only have one day before we reach Myanmar. Therefore, I am trying to get myself completely together on this crossing.

Just Before Mauritius . . . (7 hours and 20 minutes until arrival)

It’s been a full day. It started with an early wake up call at 6:30 a.m. I had to get up and study for my global studies exam since I hadn’t done it yet. I’ve become prone to cussing out my alarm clock in the morning. I pick it up, look it square in its ugly little face, and say “F U”. I’ve never loved to wake up, but somehow on this ship, I have realized that I HATE to get up early. I’m always so tired. And, I never nap. But, by the night, I get my second wind and stay up all night.

Anyways, I took my Global Studies exam. It seemed somewhat easy and I got a B on it. And, guess what, I’m ok with that. I really didn’t put much work into studying or doing the readings. Yes, everyone reread that third sentence once you get over your shock. I am ok with B’s on this trip. I made this statement to my mom a couple of weeks ago when I got a B on the first Global Studies exam and her response was, “that doesn’t sound like my Amber.” But, it’s me here. While my classes are important, there are more important things to me on this trip than hiding my nose in a book. Besides, give me a little leeway for senioritis . . .

Besides waking up early and taking the Global Studies exam, I: went to class; ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner; spent some time at the spa getting a salt scrub (pretty nice, but not worth the $ - btw, this is my forth time at the spa in five days – I need help), sat outside for a bit, went to pre-port on Mauritius, tried (completely unsuccessfully) to learn salsa dancing, and worked out for a bit.

I was outside a couple of minutes ago when we passed by an island just a few miles away. It was all lit up and really exciting to see. Some of my friends were going to attempt to sleep outside again tonight, but I think that I am just going to stay in my bed and get a good nights rest. I may read a little of the “pleasure” book that I started yesterday.

I am, however, excited about Mauritius. It sounds gorgeous and relaxing. Truth be told, I am really excited about going somewhere where I don’t feel like I have to rush around to get all the sights in. I will be quite happy to shop, go to the beach, and soak up the local culture for three days. Ok, I may hike or snorkel if I get ambitious.

Anyways, I will keep you updated . . .

Quote that I completely love: “The two most talkative people on this ship are in my room and they’re talking to each other.”
- Can you guess where I fit into the picture. Haha.

Position Report
to come soon . . .

WHAT THE F%#$

My camera broke. My thumb drive broke. I thought I lost my Ipod (but, I didn’t). My ship internet account isn’t working. Now my frickin charger for my computer broke. What the F??? I’m ticked off. Luckily, I found a girl down the hall who has the same charger. So, I’m currently bumming hers. But, I’m going to have to get my own ASAP. I guess that I’ll try in Mauritius. I’m sure that will be fun. Anyways, just wanted to vent. And, if you don’t see too many entries for a little while, that’s why – no charger, no internet account.

Now back to my happy positive self . . .
Other than the charger, I had one of those perfect days at sea. I made it to both my 8 a.m. Travel Lit and Global Studies classes. Then, I went to the gym (thumbs up to me)! Then, after lunch, I spent the entire day on the pool deck laying out. It’s just starting to get warm enough to lay out again. The best part of the day was that I actually started reading a book for fun. That was so heavenly. I’m so sick of only doing academic reading. Although, with the perfect day, brings the sucky night, because now I have to catch up on all my academic reading. We have our second Global Studies test tomorrow and I really need to do some studying. Fun. Fun.

We get to Mauritius the day after tomorrow. I’m actually really really looking forward to spending some time in the sun being lazy. I never thought I’d feel that way when Kenya was cancelled. But, I am so worn out and we haven’t had super super warm weather for a couple of weeks now. So, I’m ready for summer again. I was talking to my two friends from Cali today and the one girl says, “yeah, it’s been like winter for the past couple weeks.” I started cracking up. It was in the 60’s. I was like, “winter, that’s June in Chicago.” Anyways, I’m actually pretty excited to get to Mauritius now that I know a little more about it. It sounds like there’s a lot of natural beauty and history there.

Ahhhhh . . . Finally, a weekend . . . On a Wednesday . . .

Yesterday was our first ever day off classes while at sea with no ship wide activity planned. They did have some fun activities planned throughout the day such as mask making and movies. It would have been a completely wonderful day had I not had a nasty Geology Paper hanging over my head all day. Anyways, me and my roommate slept in until “the voice” came over the loudspeaker to wake us all up around noon. So, we decided to get up and get lunch. I’m glad that I did. They had meatball sandwiches which were really good. After lunch, there was a mandatory life boat drill, which was long and not a ton of fun.

After the drill, I went up to the salon to get my hair done. I got some highlights and a haircut. It was reasonably inexpensive and she did a pretty good job. After that, there was a BBQ out on the pool deck. It was soooooooooooo good. They had chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato wedges, salad, and corn on the cob. For dessert they had chocolate and strawberry ice cream along with a whole dessert table with a dozen desserts. I had a cheese burger, corn on the cob, potato wedges, strawberry ice cream, and banana cake with chocolate frosting. It was gorgeous and a ton of fun sitting up on deck with friends and great food as the sun set. After dinner, I watched some shows that Matt sent me with some friends. That was also a lot of fun. After that though, I was stuck in the library for the rest of the night trying to figure out what the heck to write in my five page Geology paper.

Besides that, life on the ship has been relatively routine: class; homework; papers; movies; meetings; and one ridiculously crazy (as usual) pub night. We have a Global Studies test coming up in a couple days – not looking forward to that. The weather has been getting warmer. I saw some people sunbathing on deck yesterday. I can’t wait to have a chance to get up on deck in my bathing suit. After a week or two without the tropical weather, I’m craving the sunshine and heat again.

*** I wanted to give you a quick update on shipboard life. But, I will get my safari story up soon. I have just been really busy with my school work.

A Safari Story . . .

My safari story is full of woulda, coulda, shouldas, but that’s the adventure of travel and I don’t regret a thing that happened.

As I wrote in an earlier entry, four of us decided to book a two day safari since we weren’t going to Kenya. Well, the safari snowballed until we had 40 people on the morning we departed. About half of them were friends that we had told to get in on the safari. However, there was also a solid group of SASers that the travel agent had just tacked on to our trip. Now, I’m usually a very social, “the more the merrier” type person, but I just knew right off the bat that this would just be too many people. I think that it’s because I felt somewhat responsible for everyone having a good time since we were the ones who put it together. And trust me, there were bumps in the road . . .

The drama began immediately. We had been told the night before that the travel agent had continued to sell spots in the safari even though there weren’t enough rooms at the lodge. So, only about half the people who had signed up could stay at the nice five star lodge and the rest had to stay at a hotel nearby. So, one of the guys who had initially set up the safari with me, took over the list and chose the people who we knew to go in the lodge. So, come the morning when the safari was leaving and people started finding out that they weren’t staying in the five star lodge, there was trouble . . . Enough said on that topic. You get the point. Basically the one guy just made an announcement and said “Listen, we booked this safari. We invited our friends. We’re happy that you’re with us. But, I was asked to choose who stayed in the lodge, and obviously, I chose the people who I know. If you have a problem with the situation, talk to the travel agent when you get back.”

It was supposed to be a three and a half hour drive to the lodge and we were supposed to stop in some historic town for a nice lunch. Well, apparently, we had to hurry up and get to the lodge for our game drive, so we didn’t have time to stop for lunch. So, instead, we stopped at two separate hole in the wall stops and our tour guide grabbed a million random snacks and drinks to tide us over. I tried Billock sticks. They were some type of jerky. I haven’t been able to figure out what kind of meat it was yet though. I’m thinking like some sort of deer. Anyways, our three and a half hour drive became a five hour drive. I occupied myself at the back of the bus playing rummy with the cool kids (sarcasm). Anyways, I actually had a really rowdy, fun time on the bus ride. A lot of people slept. That probably would have been a good idea for me, but I’m like a little kid with naps. I fight them. I never want to miss anything.

Anyways, we finally arrived at the lodge around 1 p.m. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was set in the middle of a game park full of African Safari animals. The lodge itself was one of those rustic looking on the outside, completely beautiful and romantic places on the inside. Definitely somewhere you would dream about having a honeymoon. There was a main lodge area that had reception and a large sitting room filled with big leather couches, heavy wooden tables, large pictures of safari animals, a fireplace, and a bar.

You walked out the French doors onto the large patio that led to a deck behind the main lodge as well as a walk way to the rooms. In the backyard, there was a beautifully landscaped pool/Jacuzzi/sauna area, a round rustic looking building which served as a dining room, and a beautiful view of the hillside spotted with little cabanas. I had a room in the main lodge. The rooms varied a little, but were pretty close to the same. They were all huge and incredible. Mine had a king sized bed with gorgeous linens, a mosquito net which was set up to look like a canopy, a zebra skin rug, gorgeous art, and a huge bathroom with a big tub.

After checking out the lodge, we had a small lunch of assorted sandwiches. Then at two o’clock we loaded safari jeeps and took off on our first safari. Now, let me point out, the place we were was a game park. What that means is that the reserve was privately held and the animals were likely bought and placed on it. The property itself was fenced in. However, it was so large that you didn’t really see the fences unless you were driving on the property line. In addition, the park was only a couple years old, so it wasn’t really filled with as many animals as a fully developed park would have been. I actually had no idea that this was how the “safari” was going to be, so I was a little disappointed at first. However, the guide did some really cool interactions to demonstrate how the animals would react in certain situations. And, we saw all the big five animals (lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, and zebras) along with a plethora of other animals during our two game drives. On that drive we saw: two elephants, two rhinos, one bontebok, three lions, eleven wildebeest, two giraffe, and nine zebras.

After the safari, we returned to the lodge to a roaring fire and a glass of local sherry. Then the party began. People started buying bottles of wine and getting toasty around the fire. Before dinner, we witnessed an amazingly beautiful African sunset. It set right over the hill that had the little round bungalows (which was my favorite view). Then, there was dinner . . . . and, was it ever an event . . . The dining room was in a small round building separate from the main lodge building. Inside it was dimly lit with torches and candles. The tables were arranged in a circle around the perimeter of the room. The tables themselves were giant picnic type tables. Some had bench swings instead of picnic table benches on one side. In the center of the room were two different buffet areas. One had the main food and one was more of a salad and dessert bar. The dinner consisted of lots of wonderful dishes: some usual (potatos and roast beef) some more exotic (such as ostrich). Everything was terrific (the salads, the entrees, the side dishes, the rolls, and the desserts)! I mean REALLY terrific! And, guess what, not only did I try alligator in Cape Town, but I tried ostrich that night. People raved that it tasted a lot like really good steak. I thought it tasted like a flavorless, gamey steak. It wasn’t awful, but I definitely didn’t have seconds.

Anyways, the rest of the night was spent socializing among bottles of wine, shots of tequila, and the amazing African night. The stars were almost as good as in the Orinoco Delta (fondly nicknamed the Noc), but not quite. I did try out the luke warm Jacuzzi and the sauna, but, did I mention, it was winter in South Africa, so the night air was a little chilly. The bar closed down at midnight, and shortly after, people started drifting off to bed. I had the best sleep that I’d had in weeks and took a luxurious bath in the morning. It was truly a little piece of African heaven.

The next morning, we had to check out first thing. Then, we were treated to a luxurious breakfast in the dining building. At nine we embarked on our second, and last, safari. I think that this morning’s safari was even better than the one the night before. We saw two elephants, two giraffes, four bontebok, three buffalo, and four lions. Then we were taken into the cheetah habitat for a walk. We saw two of the three cheetahs. Coincidentally, they fed the cheetahs as we came in so that they were pretty busy gnawing on their hens. It was still pretty cool to walk so close to them though. They are definitely far from domesticated animals. After the cheetah walk, we checked out a reptile farm on the land. We saw a ton of big African snakes and had the opportunity to hold one. I didn’t hold it, but I touched it.

After our last safari adventure, it was time for our ride back to Cape Town. It was a complete adventure. We were supposed to stop for lunch. The restaurant we were going to was supposed to have a nice lunch all ready for us. Well, when we got there, they didn’t. Since there were forty of us and we only had one hour until we had to get back on the road, it was somehow decided that it would make more sense to go to the fast food place in the gas station across the street from the restaurant. Boy, was that a disaster and a half. Fast food in South Africa is not like fast food in America. We did end up getting back on the road in about an hour and a half, but I don’t think that many people actually got their full order. It was a mess.

So, we settled in for the remaining four hours of the journey back to the ship. Now, remember, our ship is leaving this very evening, and three of us have to be back on the ship two hours early because we have dock time. After about twenty minutes on the road, the bus driver stops, gets out of the bus and then gets back on without saying anything. A couple minutes later, they announce that we have a flat tire and we have to go to a station to have it changed. Well, it’s Sunday, so this “quick” process took around an hour and a half. By the time we got back on the road, it was around three o’clock and we supposedly had a four hour drive ahead of us. I personally had to be on the ship by seven. It was cutting it close, but I just rolled with the punches and laughed internally at the situation. Whatever. How could I be unhappy.

As we approached the harbor, the sun was just setting over the mountains. It was a gorgeous scene. It reminded me so much of when we had pulled into port a week earlier. It was almost the same exact scene except the complete opposite (looking from the other direction, with the sun going in the opposite direction). I thought it was the perfect ending to my stay in South Africa.

And, that was indeed the ending. We got back to the ship just in time for me to rush on and make my dock time. I met up with some of the people who I had been with when I’d gotten dock time and had some dinner. However, I didn’t end up getting to see the ship pull out of Cape Town because I ended up having to help “baby sit” an intoxicated friend. But, that was ok, because I felt like the sunset was my goodbye to Africa.

Cape Town - Days 2 through 5

Cape Town - Day 2 - The Winelands

On our second day in port, I headed out to Stellenbosch with eight other SASers. Stellenbosch is one of the main towns within the South African vineyards, and it’s very popular with younger travelers because there is a University there, thus lots of young people and amenities catering to that age range. We really had no exact plans other than that we had a van picking us up at 8 a.m. and we were staying at the Stumble Inn. So, at 8 a.m., we got in the van and headed out to the South African wine lands. We arrived at the Stumble Inn around nine o’clock. They call it a backpackers Inn, but it was basically a hostel. It was a fun and eclectic place with an open air common room complete with shabby furniture, burning fire, pool table, and bar. The rooms were just large, plain rooms with lots of bunk beds. It was pretty much what you would imagine if you imagined a hostel in a trendy university town in South Africa.

We arrived at the Stumble Inn around 9:30 a.m. with not much of a plan other than the intension to bike the vineyards. Unfortunately, when we got there, they told us that biking from vineyard to vineyard just wasn’t realistic because they were too far apart. Fortunately, they were able to add another van onto their hostel sponsored vineyard tour that left at 10:30 that morning. Even better, we found that there was a group of eleven SASers who had stayed there the night before and were going on the same vineyard tour that day. I know four or five of them, so I was pretty excited that we’d all be doing the tour together.

Before the tour, a couple of us went to a little restaurant around the corner called the Blue Orange for a bite to eat. We all had different toasted sandwiches. I had a ham, cheese, tomato, and pickle toasted sandwich on the most wonderful homemade multi-grain bread that I’ve ever had. It was unbelievably wonderful!!!

After our quick meal, we headed back to the hostel just in time to leave on our tour. All of the SAS kids and a really cool, young Scottish guy got onto the biggest vehicle (a 19 passenger bus). The tour was from 10:30 til 5 p.m. It took us to four different vineyards in three different regions, along with a lovely lunch stop. The winelands are absolutely gorgeous and the wine was wonderful. For those of you who have seen my vineyard themed living room, you know that I was in heaven.

We had a vineyard tour and introduction to wine making and tasting at our first vineyard. After that, we pretty much just went straight into the tasting rooms at each vineyard. Each of the first three vineyards gave us a menu with the descriptions of each of the wines that you could try and you could usually pick around six of them to sample. The first three tasting rooms were set up so that you just went to the bar and asked for what you wanted. At the last vineyard, the tasting took place in a dark barn and you sat down and had six wines placed in front of you with a description menu of the wines and you just did the tasting yourself. It was all wonderful, beautiful, and fun. Hopefully, I can get some pictures posted for you soon. I felt completely confident as I sat outside the third vineyard and took in the surrounding hillside and vineyards through crystal clear air, that it was the most beautiful place that I’d ever been.

That night, I had a very nice dinner with some of the SASers at a place called Attitude. More SASers arrived at the hostel that night and a bunch of us headed out on the town. It was a really fun place to go out since it’s a college town. We all went to the first bar together but then ended up splitting up into smaller groups. I ended up in a group of three and we stopped at three different bars/clubs. We met tons of nice South African kids and generally had a great time. A highlight of the evening was when I was given a flaming blue shot of some type. You hold it in your mouth and then it gets lit on fire. Needless to say that most of it ended up in my hair.

As we were walking back to the hostel, we were looking for late night food. Apparently, in South Africa, the only place to get food late at night is at the gas station. So, that’s what we did. Yes, you’d all be thoroughly grossed out. I had two hotdogs at a gas station in Stellenbosch at 3 a.m. And, I loved them!!!

Anyways, in the morning, we reluctantly said our goodbyes to the winelands and the friends we had made at the Stumble Inn and headed back to Cape Town.


Cape Town – Day 3 - Climbing Table Mountain (possibly the most physically intense thing I’ve ever done)

When I returned from the winelands, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life when I had a call from a friend inviting me to go to Table Mountain. Since it was on my list of things to do, I changed into more appropriate hiking clothes and took off to join them. We decided to hike up the mountain. We must have taken the advanced “kick your ass” route because we spent almost the whole hike climbing nearly straight up over huge boulders. It took three people in our group around two and a half hours to climb up and me and another SASer around three hours. It was definitely the most challenging thing that I’ve done on this trip so far and quite possibly the most physically challenging thing that I’ve done in my life. It was absolutely gorgeous though, and I don’t regret doing it. But, it sure kicked my ass! I don’t know how so many people do it! I mean, it is really intense and rather dangerous. At one point we were walking on such a thin, wet portion of rock right on the edge of a cliff. I have a huge vertigo problem and nearly hyperventilated at that point. But, I made it.

When me and the other slow poke got to the top of the mountain, we ran into a group of SAS kids. We told them that we hiked up and one of them promptly looked us over and said, “you don’t look like you’ve been hiking.” At that point, I looked at the two of us from someone elses perspective. I was wearing capris, a cute top, and a headband and the guy I was with had on an Armani sweater and trendy jeans. Then they asked where we were from and we told them Chicago and New York and they totally understood. Haha. That’s pretty funny. The city kids go for a hike. No wonder we had such a hard time!

We were at the top of the mountain just a little before sunset. So, we watched the beginning of the sunset from the top of Table Mountain and the end of it from the cable car on the way down. It was breath takingly gorgeous.

We took a cab back to the port area and went to get some dinner. We were completely disgusting from our hike, but we were too famished to go back to the ship and get ready first. So, the five of us who went on the hike, went out for a really nice dinner filled with lots of steak, lots of wine, and lots of good conversation. It was a terrific time! After dinner, we headed over to the Irish Pub by the waterfront and had some drinks and socialized with all the other SASers who were there.


Cape Town – Day 4 – Green Street Market and the Opera

On the fourth day in Cape Town, I was supposed to go to Boulder Beach and Cape Point with one of my friends. However, it is so darn hard to meet up with people while in port and we never ended up connecting. So, I got myself up and went out to the port area with some people. We walked around, had lunch, and did a little shopping. Then we went off to Green Street Market which was the authentic market area. It was really cool. There was a lot of authentic crafts to purchase, but they definitely weren’t cheap and the whole thing was a little overwhelming. I feel bad that I didn’t have time to get more things for myself and others, but this afternoon was almost only chance I had to shop and it’s so hard to buy so much in such a short amount of time. I did the best I could. I got myself a nice little painting that I’m really happy with, so I guess that’s all that matters.

After the market, I headed back to the ship to get ready to go on the SAS trip to the opera. I was so excited for this trip!!! I have always wanted to go to the opera. I got a little dressed up in a skirt, top, and heals I had brought along. Around one hundred SAS kids went on the trip and everyone dressed very nicely. The opera house was beautiful, but modern. I prefer classic theaters. When we arrived at the theater, we had a little introduction about the theater and South African opera. Then they put out appetizers and wine for us. It was all very nice and elegant. After our reception, we went to a talk about the particular opera we were about to watch, Carmen. It was really interesting to get a background about it’s creation, history, and themes before seeing it.

Then it was time for the main event. I had a great seat in the center of the sixth row. The opera was wonderful. It was performed in French, but there were English subtitles above. The performers were excellent. The opera itself was extremely moving. I would love to read the original book. It lasted three hours and there were two intermissions in which the audience could purchase drinks and super good chocolate cakes. It has completely inspired me to check out the Chicago Opera House when I get home. I don’t care if I have to go alone. That was definitely not my last time at the opera.

We returned back to the ship around midnight. I was just going to go to bed, but someone asked me if I wanted to look for some food. I hadn’t had dinner, so I agreed. Of course nothing was open for food, so we ended up at the Irish Pub again. It was fun, but pretty uneventful. The only cool thing was that Captain Jeremy (the Captain of our ship) was in the bar. I went up and had a good, long conversation and a drink with him. I also got a picture. That was pretty exciting to me. I gave him a little bit of a hard time about the waves coming into port in Cape Town.

After that, it was off to bed. Way too late as usual . . .


Day 5 – Cape Town – Robben Island and Meandering

After three hours of sleep, I woke up to go to Robben Island. We took the little boat right from the pier where the ship was docked over to Robben Island. Robben Island is the high security prison where the political prisoners were held during apartheid, including South Africa’s president Nelson Mandela. No one ever escaped from the prison let alone the island. The guide who showed us the prison was a former inmate. We saw the cells, facilities, and learned about all the physiological torment that the prisoners had to endure. It was incredibly fascinating. We also took a tour of the Island itself. We saw the query where some of the prisoners were forced to work. The island itself had a lot of history. It used to be a leper colony. We saw lots of old buildings and an old leper cemetery. I’m so glad that I got to see it.

After we returned to the pier, I had an excellent pizza lunch with the same girl who I had been looking for dinner with the evening before after the opera. Hence, we had both been starving since around six o’clock the night before and finally got to eat at around one that afternoon. We dreamed about this pizza lunch we were going to have the whole Robben Island trip. It felt so good to finally eat. After that, I did a little meandering around the mall and port area. I tried to grocery shop and use the internet, but that all just turned into a bigger waste of time than anything since I was so exhausted. I went back to the ship and laid down for about two hours, but never fell asleep.

Finally, I got up and got ready to go to dinner. We went to this place that had traditional African food and music. I was so sick of big, steak dinners at this point that I just ordered the house salad. It was actually excellent. I did, however, try someone elses crocodile. It tasted kind of fishy. I wasn’t a big fan. But, I was pretty impressed with my adventurous eating. We were going to go out afterward, but since we’d had so much wine at dinner and we had to be up early for our safari in the morning, we just headed back to the ship around twelve or one.

Ok, this is all that I have time to write now. Safari stories to come soon . . .


**** Thank you so much mom and Matt for the packages. I was so very excited to get them and will definitely use the contents. Thanks also to my grandma and Danielle for the sweet cards.

**** I promise to try to get some photos up in Mauricious. It's just not realistic to try to upload pics on the ship. I tried to do it in Cape Town, but I had a problem with my thumb drive.